of the flesh. A rather humorous anecdote dating to the 4th century relates the story of an ascetic monk who refused to perform any labor. His abbot shut him in a cell with a book without food. “Because you are a spiritual man and do not need that kind of food. We being carnal want to eat and that is why we work. But you have chosen the good portion and read the whole day long and do not want to eat carnal food. Mary needs Martha. It is really thanks to Martha that Mary is praised.”[1] Cyril of Alexandria (died 444) equated Martha with the Jews and Mary with Christians for whom only one thing was necessary for salvation.[2] One popular interpretation of this story comes from Augustine of Hippo (354 - 430). Augustine argued that Martha represents the church of the present which will someday pass away. For Augustine, Martha’s decision to toil away in active service is futile because it will no longer be needed after death. On the other hand, Mary’s decision to remain at the feet of Jesus represents the church of the future because being in the presence of Jesus will continue into the next world. Susan Rakoczy points out that this might have been an expression of Augustine’s own desire to spend more time in contemplation and prayer rather than being consumed with the busy work of a church leader and theologian. Regardless of his intentions this interpretation has been injurious to the lives of those who place themselves within this “hierarchy of values.” Gregory the Great (died 604) said that while the contemplative life had greater merit than the active life, the most desirable state was the union of them. Bernard of Clairvaux (died 1153) compared Martha to Mary the mother of Jesus who received Jesus in her earthly womb while sister Mary was preparing the receive the heavenly Christ. Thomas Aquinas (died 1272) found virtue in both: “There are many arguments to support the position that the contemplative life is superior to the active, but that in some circumstances and in some particular respect, the active life has to be given preference because of the needs of the present life.” Meister Eckhart (1260-1328) has offered another interpretation of this story that identifies Martha as being the more spiritually advanced of the two sisters. Advocating for this interpretation, Matthew Fox writes, "Compassion